


cake in the oven

by casualbird



Series: dedue week 2020 [4]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, Family Fluff, Friendship, Post-Blue Lions Route (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Post-Canon, Pregnancy, Surrogacy, Trans Female Character, i'm really all about the deducedes this week huh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-01-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:35:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22165744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/casualbird/pseuds/casualbird
Summary: Annette does her two dearest friends a favor.Written for Dedue Week, day four--family.
Relationships: Annette Fantine Dominic & Dedue Molinaro, Annette Fantine Dominic & Mercedes von Martritz, Mercedes von Martritz/Dedue Molinaro
Series: dedue week 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1593229
Comments: 10
Kudos: 55





	cake in the oven

**Author's Note:**

> def the same verse as 'soft and steadfast,' if you've read that!

She’s taken a year off from teaching to be here. Packed her life into one trunk--her books, the clothes that she anticipates will fit. Annette’s got magic to spare, enchants the thing to levitate behind her as she makes the long and winding trek to their cottage at the crest of a high hill, overlooking breadthless fields of Duscur poppies.

Annette says it’s no trouble, but Dedue still thinks it must be a heavy load. So he tends to her, and Mercedes too. They make her favorite sweets, bring her tea and homespun blankets, remind her when the candles burn low over her studies that she ought to get some rest.

That they love her.

That she doesn’t have to be here.

Annette just smiles, weaves sunset strands of hair between her fingers. It’s no trouble, she says. Something she’s always wanted to do, for Mercedes. Since their time at the School of Sorcery, since Mercedes sat up with her in the room they shared, told her in a voice as soft as the candlelight that she doesn’t mind her body, has made it hers and loved it, save one dear missing thing. That it helps Dedue as well can only be--hmm. _Killing two birds with one stone_ isn’t exactly the right metaphor.

More like... baking two cakes in the same oven. And then she laughs, the same sweet ringing sound of her youth, because there’s a little cake in _her_ oven.

She lets Dedue sit in, when Mercedes checks her over. Lifts her new-made shirt, loose, trimmed with bright-dyed Duscur patterns. Lays those soft, certain hands over her belly, fingers splayed across the contour of its waxing-moon curve. And Dedue listens raptly, intently as they speak in hushed tones--how are you feeling? don’t worry, all seems well--but his eyes are on Mercedes’ face, on the veneer of her bedside manner, stretched thin over wonderment and gratitude and love.

It’s the same look he sees on his own face, when he catches his reflection in his polished-copper pots as he cooks for her, overhears snatches of a new song about the delicate spice blends of Duscur food, about _eating for two._

Annette wears it too, when she follows them to bed, nestles between them, guides Dedue’s rough-hewn hands to rest gentle on her belly, to feel the future of Duscur fussing about inside.

“They’re full of energy,” Dedue murmurs, “like you.”

Annette just laughs, rests her head against Mercedes’ soft shoulder. “Baby knows their papa! They’re always going wild when you’re around.”

Dedue’s got no idea what to say, so he simply smiles, fall silent. Just focuses on the palm of his hand, on being still, hoping that his child will come and shake his hand once more.

Or that they’ll drift off to sleep. Let Annette have some rest, it’s hard work for her. Besides--the stars and the crickets are out, it’s far past a little child’s bedtime.

They ask her, one morning, hand in anxious hand, if there really is nothing she wants in return. It’s not a new conversation--they’ve offered her money, offered her _anything under the sun_ in exchange for the service she is doing them. The unfathomable gift she is giving them.

Again, she shakes her head, that soft look back in her eye.

“I’ve told you, nothing. Just--” and she sighs, curls her arms around her belly. “Love them. With all of your hearts. Give them everything they deserve. But I know you will!”

And they nod, the two of them, in perfect unison, perfect certainty. Mercedes’ voice is as sure and gentle as the sunrise when she speaks, assures her that they will.

“And please, make more of that cinnamon cake!”

They can probably manage that as well.

**Author's Note:**

> i knocked this up (ha) at the last minute, because i thought this fit the prompt better than the other thing i wrote... please let me know how you felt about it!
> 
> if you're 18+, (sorry, i'm just too hot for primetime) feel free to come hang out with me on [twitter!](https://twitter.com/bird_scribbles)


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